Das erste Testlizenz wurde erteilt, und das Satelliten-Internet der Dinge beginnt, den geschlossenen Geschäftszyklus zu betreiben.

The satellite Internet of Things has obtained legal commercial test access. What the market is now considering is how many end - devices will be connected, how many customers will stay, and how many scenarios will transition from demonstration projects to daily systems.

According to a report from Xingdong Wuji, on May 6th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved Beijing Guodian Gaoke Technology Co., Ltd. to conduct a commercial test of the satellite Internet of Things. The test phase lasts for two years.

This is the first approval for a commercial test of the satellite Internet of Things in China.

According to information from the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry, Guodian Gaoke can legally test the satellite Internet of Things business during the test phase. By using the Tianqi constellation network, it can provide comprehensive, energy - efficient, and reliable Internet of Things connection services for scenarios such as fishery, energy, water conservancy, and transportation logistics.

This approval means that the satellite Internet of Things is entering the phase of compliant operation and commercial testing from the constellation construction and capacity testing phase.

For China's commercial space business, after the launch and network establishment phase, the phase where the operability is truly put to the test begins.

1. Why is the satellite Internet of Things released first?

The commercialization of satellite communication will not directly enter the mass - broadband market. Compared with broadband satellite Internet, the satellite Internet of Things is more suitable as the first test access.

This is related to the business model. The satellite Internet of Things mainly solves the problem of slow data collection and transmission. The data volume per transmission is not very large, and the network pressure is relatively controllable.

In scenarios such as oceans, forests, grasslands, oil and gas pipelines, water storage facilities, and logistics assets, the objects are often widely scattered, and the ground network coverage is insufficient. Nevertheless, position, status, and environmental data need to be continuously sent back. Satellite connection has a more direct benefit here.

The regulatory boundaries are also relatively clear.

Broadband satellite Internet targets public communication and involves issues such as content traffic, cross - border connections, and the large - scale spread of end - devices. The complexity is higher.

The satellite Internet of Things mainly serves industry customers. The data types and service recipients are easier to define, so it is more suitable for being tested first.

Most importantly, it can more easily achieve a closed business cycle.

For industries such as fishery, energy, water conservancy, and logistics, the value of the satellite Internet of Things lies not in bandwidth but in the stable connection in network - free areas.

Ship positioning, pipeline monitoring, hydrological data collection, device status feedback, and emergency communication. Once the problem of data feedback is solved, there is a clear budget income.

Therefore, the satellite Internet of Things can be regarded as an air - ground compensation network in industrial, energy, marine, and transportation scenarios.

It has independent needs, independent scenarios, and independent business logic and does not need to be incorporated into the narrative of broadband satellite Internet.

2. Why is Guodian Gaoke the first example?

The reason why Guodian Gaoke received the first approval is that it already meets the necessary basic conditions for the test.

The Tianqi constellation network is the key support.

Public information shows that the first phase of the Tianqi constellation network built and operated by Guodian Gaoke has already been completed. The first phase consists of 37 satellites and is one of the first low - orbit Internet of Things communication constellations to enter the practical operation phase. That is, it not only has a plan for the test application but also in - orbit resources and a service foundation.

The application cases mentioned in this approval also match the capacity limits of the Tianqi constellation network.

Fishery, energy, water conservancy, and transportation logistics have similar characteristics:

The end - devices are distributed, and the ground network is discontinuous. The data transmission frequency does not necessarily have to be very high, but there is a fixed requirement for the coverage and stability of the connection.

For these industries, a stable, energy - efficient, and cost - effective connection is more important than high bandwidth.

However, in the satellite Internet of Things, not only the constellation itself is put to the test.

It also involves end - devices, ground stations, billing systems, customer service, maintenance systems, security monitoring, and industry solutions.

The previous announcements from the Ministry regarding commercial tests have also put forward requirements for the business support system, the operation support system, and the management support system of enterprises.

This means that the commercial test examines comprehensive operability.

The questions of whether the satellites can continuously provide services, whether the end - devices can be connected cost - effectively, whether the customers can use it stably, and whether faults can be quickly located are closer to the commercial core than the size of the constellation.

3. What market does this approval open up?

The satellite Internet of Things first enters scenarios with strong regulation, high security, and strong asset management.

The ocean is the most direct market. Fishery supervision, deep - sea experiences, marine farms, offshore wind energy, and maritime emergencies cannot avoid the problem of connection after leaving the coastal network.

For shipping, the stable feedback of position, status, and warning information is itself part of safety management.

The energy and water conservancy scenarios are also clear.

Oil and gas pipelines, power lines, water storage facilities, hydrological stations, pumping stations, and mining equipment are distributed in many remote areas. These devices do not need to continuously transmit large amounts of data but need to be online for a long time, operate energy - efficiently, and report the status in case of an emergency.

Transportation logistics attaches more importance to the visibility of assets. The cold chain, cross - border logistics, hazardous goods transportation, and the tracking of vehicles and containers in remote areas require a more stable overall connection capacity.

The satellite Internet of Things can fill the gaps in ground network coverage and reduce the risk of asset loss and operational failures.

Emergency and ecosystem monitoring will also become important directions.

In scenarios such as forest fire prevention, geological disasters, field rescue, and ecological protection area monitoring, there are real needs, but the public nature is stronger. The business model may depend more on project contracts and public procurements.

These markets will not mature simultaneously.

More likely, the scenarios with high safety responsibility, high regulatory requirements, and high asset value will be implemented first.

Whether large - scale revenue can be achieved also depends on the end - device costs, the user - friendliness of the platform, the procurement cycle of industry customers, and the service stability.

4. The difficulties in commercialization lie in revenue and continuous testing

This approval opens the commercial test access for the satellite Internet of Things, but clear scenarios do not automatically mean stable revenue.

In the next two years, it actually needs to be verified whether this service can transition from demonstration projects to the daily budgets of industry customers.

First, one has to consider the costs.

If the costs of satellite Internet of Things end - devices and services are significantly higher than those of the terrestrial Internet of Things, the application scope will be limited to network - free, weakly - connected, and high - value scenarios, and it will be difficult to become an alternative to the normal cellular Internet of Things.

Industry customers will not only consider the purchase price but also calculate the energy consumption, service life, installation, maintenance, and subsequent maintenance costs. Low energy consumption is a technical feature, but the life - cycle cost is the key for the purchase decision.

The availability of the service is also important.

The revisit time, the message delivery rate, the latency, the coverage continuity, and the stability under extreme environments affect whether customers are willing to use the service in the long term. For industry customers, occasional availability and long - term reliability are two completely different services.

A deeper challenge lies in industry integration.

The satellite connection is only the lowest - level channel. Ultimately, customers need it to be integrated into the business system.

The fishery supervision platform, the water conservancy monitoring platform, the logistics visibility platform, and the energy asset management system are the places where the connection really creates value. Only when it is integrated into the process does it have the possibility of being included in the budget.

Guodian Gaoke is not the only company involved in China's satellite Internet of Things, but it is the first to receive approval for the commercial test.

According to public progress, Guodian Gaoke's Tianqi constellation network is in a leading position.

The first phase of the Tianqi constellation network has already been completed. After the approval, Guodian Gaoke can legally test the satellite Internet of Things business during the two - year test phase.

According to public reports, the Tianqi constellation network currently has a total of 41 in - orbit commercial satellites and has carried out application demonstrations in several industry scenarios.

Another important participant is the Xingyun project under the space enterprise.

The Xingyun project proposed the construction of a low - orbit narrow - band Internet of Things constellation network early on. The planned size is 80 satellites. The goal is to solve the problem of insufficient coverage of the terrestrial Internet of Things in land and sea areas.

Public information shows that in 2020, the Xingyun project launched the Xingyun - 2 - 01 and - 02 satellites and carried out in - orbit technology tests and industry demonstration application tests.

The Geely constellation network built by Shikong Daoyu is also remarkable.

It is more focused on the low - orbit satellite Internet of Things and the digital infrastructure of the industry. Public reports show that the first phase of the Geely constellation network is completed and covers the region between 60° north and south latitudes. The application directions include the vehicle Internet, low - altitude aviation, the marine industry, and emergency rescue.

Since it focuses on the automotive and mobility ecosystems, the competitive feature of Shikong Daoyu lies not only in the construction of the constellation but also in whether it can integrate the satellite connection into the vehicle Internet, autonomy, and the intelligent transportation system.

In addition, other players such as China SatNet, G60 Starlink, and GalaxySpace focus more on broadband communication, mobile communication, or the space - earth integration network. There are overlaps with the satellite Internet of Things, but the focuses of their business activities are not completely identical.

They may enter the relevant market in the future through end - devices, slow - data services, or industry - specific networks. However, in the short term, the low - orbit narrow - band Internet of Things remains a relatively independent competitive area.

This article is from the WeChat account "Xingdong Wuji", author: UniLym, published by 36Kr with permission.